Fragmented Remains
by The 8th Stone
Summary: Where love for teammate had once been, replaced by hatred. The four-man squad of Team 7, now but a shattered mess. Fragmented remains are all there are in the place of this war. Sasu/Saku. Canon.
1. Prologue

**Fragmented Remains**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own <strong>_**Naruto**_**.**

**A/N:** This story is an extension of my other story, _Sasuke (Not Uchiha)_, except with an alternation: In this story, seventeen-year old Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura do not die (like how they did in SNU, at least), Sasuke does not travel back in time, and the Voice In His Head does not appear. Pure canon, with eventual SasuSaku. It's not necessary to read SNU (unless you really, really want to get spoilers for this story... but of course, SNU doesn't tell everything for _Fragmented Remains_).

Lately, all that pops up for SasuSaku are high school AUs (which gets pretty redundant after a while). It's sad. I don't think anyone believes in canon SasuSaku anymore.

_Fragmented Remains_ starts a couple of months prior SNU's start of "past life". Ask me (in PM if you don't want to review) if you have any questions regarding this chapter. :)

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

* * *

><p>He stood, overlooking his once-prosperous village—<p>

"_KAKASHI-SENSEI!"_

_He hadn't arrived soon enough._

_The Jounin's last words had been simple._

"_I'm sorry..."_

_Carrying that ever-smiling façade behind his mask, the earth around him shattered in slow-motion._

_Fire erupted, and the ground fell..._

She knelt down before her Kage, hiding her face—

"_NO! SHISHOU! NO, LET ME—"_

"_Sakura...listen," her mentor whispered, her life energy blinking, wavering._

_The kunoichi stopped, eyes wide, filled with shocked tears._

"_Live..."_

_The proud woman closed her eyes, and slumped to the ground._

_Her lips, smudged by blood, were curved into a smile._

_The ex-Jinchuuriki stirred._

Over the horizon, fire burned in a distance.

The Fourth Shinobi World War raged on.


	2. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Naruto**_**.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One<br>Reunion**

* * *

><p>"Hatake Kakashi has died," Madara told him.<p>

_Slash!_ Off went the dummy's head.

Sasuke did not respond.

"I killed him," Madara continued.

"Why are you wasting my time on such useless information?"

A shrug from the other Uchiha. Madara's strange smirk when unseen. "I'd just thought you might want to know, seeing that you are going after them right now, at this minute."

_Slash!_

The head that came off this time wasn't the training dummies—but Sasuke's.

The clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Madara gazed almost disgustedly on the ground. "Kabuto... you bastard."

* * *

><p>Sasuke arrived at Madara's lab. He had to see it for himself—he had to see if what Kabuto said was true. After dismissing the hawk summons, Sasuke prowled through the building at Mountains' Graveyard, easily dodging the various traps and guards.<p>

Then he arrived at the tens and hundreds of eyes—_Sharingan eyes_—that lined across the entire wall. His own eyes turned blood red, blood pounding furiously against his veins.

Madara was a traitor... Kabuto was right.

He was betrayed... again. By his own family member. He'd lived a life built on lies... were they now finally crumbling down?

But, for some reason, Sasuke didn't howl and yell to the sky. His need for revenge wasn't as deep-pressed as before. Not like his Genin days, where revenge consumed every fiber of his being.

No... Perhaps he had known this himself already, had been so used to betrayal it was expected, Sasuke, seeing the Uchiha eyes, only grinned.

"Now, doesn't this shorten my trip?" he asked a skull's head by the ground. It didn't answer, and Sasuke crushed it beneath his foot.

"Of course it does."

_Madara... change of plans. I am coming for you._

* * *

><p>"Kabuto," Madara said. His voice was calm, betraying none of his anger.<p>

Scaled and bespectacled, Kabuto Yakushi was a disgusting sight. He looked up from his hood and into Madara's mask, smiling mockingly.

"Yes, Madara-san?"

The suffix was used to mock him, to rile him up, to let his already brimming anger overspill.

Madara had no patience for his mind games.

"Why did you tell Sasuke about my collection?"

Kabuto didn't answer right away. He moved one of the stones on what seemed like a gigantic puzzle before answering, "I know nothing about what you speak of."

"Don't play this shit with me."

"Why would you need Sasuke, anyway?" Kabuto stroked one white snake. "After all, you have all of the Uchiha clan's DNA, and I'd told you how to use the technique myself—surely one temperamental little boy won't matter much?"

"He is my last pair of eyes, my last vessel if I were to host the Ten-Tail."

"Really?"

Kabuto, of course, was faking his surprise. They were two strongs shinobi; spying on each other was a given.

"Why else would I preserve Nagato's other eye? But we are wasting time with this repetitive banter. This still brings us back to my original question: Why did you tell Uchiha Sasuke of my collection?"

Kabuto was quiet for a moment, most likely debating on whether to play dumb or admit to Madara of his untrustworthiness.

Apparently, he decided on the latter. "I need to see just how far you are willing to go for our compromise."

"And how is driving him away going to help that cause?"

One yellow eye peered at Madara sideways. "It alienates him from you, which makes it easier for me to separate the boy from you later on." When Madara didn't speak, Kabuto tilted his body so the Uchiha could see his smirk. "What? Did my 'ingenious' plan surprise you?"

"More surprised by the carelessness of your planning. I thought you wanted your revenge quickly, and having the boy watched underneath my eye is certainly easier, in my opinion, than having him running rampant elsewhere.

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong again, Madara-san," Kabuto nonchalantly held up another pebble. "As long as I have _this_, he would do whatever I want him to, go wherever I order."

Madara knew at once what the pebble contained, and, at the same time, knew he was bested. This time.

* * *

><p>"We've finally caught up with you, Sasuke."<p>

The raven-haired teenager stood there, unmoving, back to them. He didn't need to turn around to see who they were, though he was surprised that Naruto kept his silence for so long. Instead of charging straight at him, of course.

One could've expected their reunion to be a more dramatic kind than the last.

"What do you want?" He was greatly annoyed that they had stopped him on his way. He was about to kill Madara, after all.

Sakura paused for a moment, carefully chewing her words, before continuing. "Kakashi-sensei... you've heard about him, right?"

"Yes," came the terse response. "And what does that have to do with me?" He turned away. "You are wasting my time."

"BASTARD! Have you gone so deep that you don't even care about your own _sensei_?"

"Naruto!" Sakura reprimanded sternly.

The blonde immediately fell silent. Sasuke secretly wondered what they needed from him that was so important Naruto would shut up.

"If it isn't the Rokudaime and his healer." Finally, he turned to face them. Naruto glowered and Sakura flinched. "Give me a reason not to leave now."

"Please, Sasuke—"

"We're not here to beg you to come back, if that's what you're thinking."

A sardonic smirk twisted his lips. "Finally given up, haven't you? Finally realized that your goal was futile? Finally realized that I am the enemy?"

A determined look set over Naruto's features. "I won't fight you, Sasuke. This is not the time."

Sakura cut in. "There's a war going, and we need your help. Sasuke, Join us. We have a common enemy. You know it."

He placed a hand on the Kusanagi. "'Join you', I see. And what would I get in return?"

He saw her jade eyes harden just a bit, but that was over quickly as she disguised herself once more in an indifferent façade.

"Your goal," she said, her voice sounding a lot colder than before. "In exchange for your support, Uchiha, you will get to kill the elders. Konoha will provide you the information. They are traitors to the village and should be dealt with accordingly."

He was amused. "And who gives you the authority?"

"I do," Naruto said simply.

They stared at each other for a few minutes, blood-red versus cerulean. Finally, Sasuke nodded.

"Fine." He grabbed the hilt of his sword and turned away. "Just stay away from me."

He knew he did not imagine the barest of sighs that came from Sakura, or Naruto's tiny twitches of anger that he could scarcely contain.

They thought they had gotten him to agree, but that couldn't be further away from the truth.

Sasuke Uchiha would get his revenge. Alone.

He would see Konoha to ashes after that.

He smirked.

_And his teammates would be the first to die._

* * *

><p><strong>The 8th Stone's Guide to "Sasuke Uchiha":<strong>

Sasuke's crazy. There is still one shred of sanity inside him, but he's basically gone, ninety-nine point nine percent.

His mind jumps around in weird ways: he can't focus on one goal, one person to kill, so he's determined to do everything at the same time. That's basically how I try to pull it off as, anyway.


	3. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N: **The Rookie Nine are about seventeen years old in this story. I think I overestimated their age, but it's gonna stay that way . . . since I'm too lazy to change it. :P

Bitter Sakura is a bit unoriginal, but it's probably the most . . . logical path she can take. Both of her sensei died, after all.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

* * *

><p>Make-shift campsites littered throughout the place that was once called Konohagakure no Sato. People, shinobi mostly, greeted Rokudaime with smiles, but scurried away in fear when they spotted Sasuke. Whispers, barely audible, made their way to his ears.<p>

He sneered. _What a tainted place_, he thought to himself in disgust. This village was full of the guilty, corrupted, and deceitful. All living over his clan's sacrifice.

Sasuke's hand tightened around the handle of his sword. He would not allow it.

They arrived at the edge of the sea of tents, where the forest covered most of the terrain. There stood a lonely tent, though quite spacious compared to the other ones he'd seen. Wordlessly, the Uchiha slid in.

Surprisingly, there were no handcuffs or shackles, hidden traps or secret jutsus. Not that it would be any good against him.

Naruto did not back away. He instead leaned down through the overhanging flap of an entrance.

"Sasuke," he said, voice steady and commanding, "you know it doesn't have to be this way. The village—"

The Kusanagi was immediately at his throat. Sasuke knew when it was when Naruto started to preach. "The village follows _your_ command. They put a smile when they see you and whisper behind your back. The place that you call 'home' is the place that had _destroyed_ my clan." Three tomoe spun threateningly, longing to transform in the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. But he couldn't. He needed information on those bastard elders. He lowered the sword by half an inch. "Just because I agreed to come here doesn't mean we will become buddies. That time is over. That me is _dead_."

Nothing changed in Naruto's expression. Blue eyes were as determined as ever.

"I just want you to know that there is always another way to do things," the blond said, even with the blade at his neck.

Ah. So he knew about his intentions all along. Yet Naruto still brought him to Konoha?

"There is no other way. I will get my revenge. That is all there is to it."

"Sasuke—"

"Stop." A hand was placed on Naruto's shoulder.

Sasuke saw the blonde glance down at his feet, dejected, and moved shuffled his feet to the side.

Pink hair and green eyes appeared.

Sakura.

"It's not worth it." The girl turned to glare at the missing-nin. "It's not worth it to trust him."

He met her eyes with a steady gaze.

Naruto had still hoped fantastically that Team 7 would somehow go back to the way it was. Foolish. Sasuke had assumed the kunoichi thought so too, but apparently not. It seemed that even she, the girl who had told him she would do anything for, had given up. Two murder attempts were all it needed.

He smirked.

They stayed like that for a good moment or two, before Sakura turned away, her back to him.

"He's not Sasuke. He is an Uchiha."

"_Sakura!_"

* * *

><p>Said girl turned and was met with a blonde in ponytail. For a frightening second she thought it was Deidara of the Akatsuki, but then recognized the girl to be Ino, her rival and best friend.<p>

She raised a hand up. "Pig," she greeted in an attempt at cheerfulness. But Sakura didn't sound convincing even to herself.

"Hey. Didn't think I will see you so soon. Weren't you on a mission with Naruto to find . . ." Ino realized her mistake, and paused awkwardly.

There was an uncomfortable silence between them. Sakura didn't seem like she was paying much attention to Ino. Her eyes were faraway, distant in the gray sky.

The sky used to be blue. But the flumes and smokes that signaled nearby jutsu-use clouded it. It was also a sign that the enemy was drawing near. Konoha was fighting a losing battle.

She guessed it all started after Naruto's capture . . . and Tsunade's death. Now that the Akatsuki had captured eight of the nine Tailed-Beasts, Madara redirected his force to Konoha, the closest village to the center of the Akatsuki army, in hopes of gaining the Killer Bee's whereabouts. Ever since the start of war three months ago, it had been this way.

Three months . . . had it really been that short ago?

Seeing her friend wasn't about to respond, Ino began walking away before Sakura said, "We brought Uchiha Sasuke to Konoha."

Ino whirled around, shocked. "Y-You . . . brought Sasuke-kun back?"

Sakura closed her eyes and nodded. "Our mission was successful. Hokage-sama told him we will give him information on the elders in return for the manpower needed in war, and we reached a peaceful negotiation."

"But the council . . ."

"Is dead," Sakura said tonelessly. "And that is not of our concern."

Ino took a pitying glance at her best friend. "Forehead . . ." she hesitated, "are you okay?"

Sakura gave a smile even faker than Sai's.

"Of course. Why shouldn't I be?"


	4. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N:** I like this story. :D

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

* * *

><p>That night, Sasuke dreamed.<p>

For the first time in ages, he dreamt of his childhood, before the Uchiha Massacre. He dreamed of his father's stern gazes and his mother's small smiles and Itachi, before Sasuke learned to hate him. But his dreams were not those of comfort, for he twisted and turned in his sleep, stretched and struggled touch that image that seemed to always float away . . .

He woke up and found himself in cold sweat, panting heavily. Reality came to him like a hard punch in his face. This mother and father were dead. Itachi was dead. And then he would curse himself for showing such weakness. This was Konoha. This was enemy territory. He shouldn't be letting down his guard like this.

In fury, his fisted fingers swung blindly to the side. Something shattered behind his knuckles, and an unidentifiable liquid flowed into his palm. Sasuke didn't even check whether that liquid was water or blood before wiping it on his bedroll, and then standing up to dress.

He flew out his tent a mere minute after, too impatient for some long-awaited action to smother the suffocating anger inside his stomach. He didn't need the idiot Naruto ordering him about like some second-rated Chuunin. Sasuke was all too eager for his vengeance against one Madara Uchiha.

He dashed through the village gates, in a speed too quick for even the most trained eyes of shinobi. He didn't look back, didn't wait to ponder that he just left a place he'd called "home", for the second time.

Outside Sasuke Uchiha's tent, Sakura watched him go with little expression on her face. When he finally flitted out of sight, she went in to retrieve shards of the water jug she'd been ordered to deliver.

* * *

><p>"Naruto-kun, what is our next step?"<p>

The Mizukage watched him with questioning eyes. Even though Naruto was the head of the Allied Shinobi Forces, the woman still liked to call him by the "-kun" suffix, simply because he "sounded more adorable that way".

Or perhaps she was trying to cheer him up, knowing about what happened to Tsunade and Kakashi. Which surprised Naruto, since the Mizukage barely knew him, except from his Jinchuuriki days.

"We're gonna chain those wimps up by the soles of their feet, and hit them with a stick while they're list'nin' to my beat!" Bee rapped vigorously, crossing his arms. However, his rap also showed his inner anxiety. Bee, being the Eight-Tail's host and the Raikage's temporary substitute (wonder who got _that_ idea), could do little but sit in the little commander's desk and . . . well. Rap.

"Seems like an unusually harsh punishment," Sai muttered beside Naruto.

"You dare insult my rap? I'll beat you into crap!"

Naruto could only sweat-drop along with the other three Kages in the room as Bee and Sai got into yet another fight. "Stop. We need to talk about other things."

Bee glared at the Rokudaime's bodyguard. "Yeah, 'course, Naruto, bro."

Sai smiled. "Of course."

"Does this 'other things' include the nuke-nin, Uchiha Sasuke?" Gaara's raspy voice sounded across the room.

Naruto met Gaara's probing gaze without flinching.

"_If you're truly prepared to take up the mantle of a Kage, then as Sasuke's friend, you know what you have to do._"

The Kazekage did not approve of Naruto's solution of his feud with Sasuke, mainly because he was convinced that the Uchiha was still a threat to the shinobi world. Sasuke definitely did not swear an oath of loyalty to the Shinobi, and his willingness to cooperate in either side of the war was up to his mad mood swings. Naruto knew this. Yet he still let Sasuke into Konoha, without punishment, without restraining the man with manacles or even the simplest of locks. What was Naruto planning?

Naruto could almost read Gaara's mind with a single look, and the boy's question only confirmed his suspicions. Gaara no longer trusted his judgment as much as before. He was trying to test Naruto, to see what he was up to. The young Hokage almost felt saddened. He _knew_ this decision would cause problems, yet . . .

_Now that we stand on equal footing, can you not understand that my decision was not based on my personal desire, but on the good for our nations?_

"Yes." Naruto could feel all the room's attention focused on him with that single word. "The missing ninja known as Uchiha Sasuke is now under the Hidden Leaf Village."

No one spoke. All except for Gaara and Sai were staring at him with an expression varying from surprise to horror. Naruto ventured a glance in Bee's direction, but the last Jinchuuriki's face was unreadable.

"What do you plan to do, Naruto?" Gaara inquired quietly.

"Surely you understand what this infers!" exclaimed the Tsuchikage. "I had let you brat onto that seat you're sitting right there because I believed that you won't go and pull a stunt like this! Apparently, I've thought wrong!"

"Naruto-kun, what is the meaning of this? You do know that you're letting in a man who has murdered your former Hokage (as contemptuous as Danzo was) . . ."

"Murdered Danzo?" The Cloud-nin guarding Bee cried. "That is hardly all Uchiha did! He almost captured Bee-sama!"

"Uchiha is a known Akatsuki member! He is a dangerous S-rank criminal and a danger to every village, including Iwagakure—"

"Your village isn't the only one in danger of the Uchiha. Mist has always been the most shunned village! Uchiha—"

"This is not—"

"SHUT UP!"

The room was once again plunged in utter silence.

"Why do you think," Naruto gritted out, "that we are _here_, in the Land of Iron, rather than out there in the battlefield fighting alongside with our shinobi?" His fingers curled into fists. "Why do you think it is Bee here today, rather than his brother the Raikage? Why do you think that, every single goddamn-_fuckin'_-day, there are deaths out there, happening, faster than we can blink?"

No one answered.

Naruto took in a deep breath.

"The Allied Shinobi Nations are fighting a losing war. We all know this. Us being here in the third Kage Summit? We carry the hopes of our fellow ninjas—the people of the Shinobi, not Suna, Kumo, Iri, Iwa, or Konoha. We are supposed to cooperate, work together, figure out a plan. You go around saying to each other that the 'Uchiha' is the one you need to be watching out for, that the 'Uchiha' is our enemy. But, whenever you say that, you forget that it's not '_Uchiha'_ you need to destroy, '_Uchiha'_ you need to put a stop to, but '_Madara'_.

"Uchiha Sasuke is not Madara. Neither is blameless, but this war and the loss of our family and friends—" he paused for a second, swallowing "—the loss of our family and friends were not caused by Sasuke. He is a puppet controlled by Madara, blind and angry. Right now his anger and strength can be used against our enemy, and maybe later he can prove himself to be loyal. If Uchiha Sasuke can face off five of the Kages and last long enough for escape, then I believe that he is valuable to the army. We need every single person we can get to make sure Madara doesn't takeover. And this is what I've come up with.

"But, for now, he is treated as a special-case missing-nin, a temporary reinstated ninja. No one harms him. And, if the time comes when he decides to side with Madara again . . . I will be the one to face him. _No one else._"

His fist uncurled.

"That is all I have to say."

* * *

><p><strong>Extras:<strong>

There's an event called **SasuSaku Month** going on right now in LiveJournal. It's basically a month (July) of prompt-based fanworks (like fanfics, fanarts, AMVs and all that). I'm joining too (it's really exciting!). So . . . for all of you who wish to join or is considering . . . see you there? :)


	5. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N: **It seems that _Fragmented Remains_'s update has managed to surpass _Sasuke, Not Uchiha_. :)

**Edited A/N of 6/19/11:** After updating the flashback for Sasuke, Not Uchiha, I realized a few mistakes and edited it. This chapter still tells the same thing, but the language is simply tweaked a little.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

* * *

><p>At night, the attacking squads, which had fought enemies literally outside the village doors, transferred their positions to the next Shinobi Forces nins. It was at that time, when Sasuke had defeated more than a dozen of the Impure Resurrected undeads, that he limped his way back into Konoha.<p>

Untrusting gazes traveled with him the entire way, even more than the ones he'd carried on the battlefield for his lack of a 忍 headband, though Sasuke did not look back.

There was no need to. These Leaf scums were unworthy of his attention.

"_Traitor . . . murderer . . . Rokudaime's best friend . . . let off lightly . . . Sworn vengeance on Konoha . . ."_

Finally reaching the tent, the Uchiha settled back into the canvas sleeping bag, eyes blinking back into the normal color. Sasuke tried to reach for a flask of water a foot away, and was instantly met with extreme pain. He winced. There was a cut across his abdomen, courtesy of one of the reanimated Akatsuki member—Sasori, he thought the puppet master was called. There had been no poison in the sword, but Sasori had gotten away before Sasuke had the pleasure of finishing him up.

The wound was bleeding heavily now. Sasuke, however, made no move to stop the bleeding and, if he was honest to himself, it was more because of his lack of knowledge on wounds than anything. His more serious wounds had never been left open long enough without a medic healing. But it didn't matter. Pain . . . was just an illusion.

The canvas door flapped open. Sasuke, not anticipating a fight, fumbled with his sword before slashing it at the approaching figure.

The shinobi blocked it with ease.

Moonlight leaked through the open tent entrance, shining on the pale face of Sakura Haruno. Her eyes, burning with feverish fatigue, bore into his.

"What the hell are you doing, Uchiha?" she asked quietly. Her hand, used to block his sword, shone with eerie green chakra.

Sasuke relaxed, if slightly. "Why are you here?"

Sensing the blow on her arm slackening, Sakura slinked away from the blade and back two steps, as if being near him disgusted her.

"Hokage-sama informed me that you are injured. I am sent here, as a _medic_," she emphasized on the word, "to heal you."

"Why would you care?"

She smiled grimly. "I don't think my personal desire matters. As I said, I am here on orders."

"And how do I know what you speak of are not lies used to relax my guard, and kill me?"

Without waiting for an answer, he flash-stepped forward, reaching for her neck—

Cold metal pressed onto his back.

"You underestimated me, Uchiha."

A Shadow Clone . . .

"How unoriginal," he said aloud. "Did you learn this trick from your boyfriend?"

"The neck," Sakura continued as if he never spoke, "is one of the most delicate pieces of skin in the human anatomy, along with the forehead, the eyelid, the stomach, and the underside of your arms. I can think of twenty-seven ways to kill you right now with a _toothpick_. Ten of which suffocates, twelve shut down your various organs, and seven that leave you in such intense pain you'd be _begging_ to die. Don't test me."

He smirked, Sharingan spinning. "You wouldn't."

"And what makes you think that? Do you think I will show mercy for a man who intends to destroy my village?"

"You won't kill me because I'm useful."

"You can't be sure of that."

"I can. Or else you wouldn't have searched for me."

There was a pause.

The pressure against his skin lessened. "Uchiha. You're lucky my Hokage is the head of the Allied Shinobi Forces. Kumogakure is still hollering for your head."

A quick swipe of green indicated that his wound was healed. The Shadow Clone before him disappeared.

Cold gust swirled in the tent door, leaving Sasuke with a strange sense of chill. And Sakura Haruno left, as if never appeared at all.

* * *

><p>"Taka."<p>

Suigetsu scoffed. "With Sasuke gone now, you might as call us 'Nesu'. Team of the cowards."

"Where is Sasuke-san?" Juugo asked quietly. "And Karin? What happened to them?"

Suigetsu grimaced, showing his pointy, shark-like teeth. "They are probably out there, sucking each others' lips out—"

"Doesn't matter," Naruto interrupted abruptly, glancing at Sakura, who was growing tenser every second. He stood up from the Hokage's chair, now at eyelevel with the two ex-Akatsuki members. "Right now is not the time to talk about this kind of things. We need to—"

The white-haired boy yawned, loudly and rude, but his face darkened abruptly into an unsightly sneer. "Know what, great guy? I don't care how you see us, or how stupid you think we are. I may be a criminal, but I sure as hell will not tell anything about Sasuke to a Leaf ninja like _you_, you demon brat—"

_CRUNCH!_

Suigetsu stood, paralyzed, as Sakura's fist punctured a clean hole straight through the wall beside him, an inch apart. Bits of wood and sawdust stuck into his hair and eyes, but he didn't appear to notice in midst of his wide-eyed shock.

"Suigetsu-san, let me warn you." She lifted her head, staring at him with so much murder intent he flinched. "Shut. The. Hell. _Up_."

"Sakura," Naruto's voice came from behind.

There was a beat, when Suigetsu really thought that the girl was going to punch him. But then she retracted her fist. Bangs covered her eyes, she proceeded on healing her bloodied knuckles.

"I apologize," she said, in a voice more robotic than human. "That was completely unintentional."

The tension in the room was enough to make hell freeze over.

Finally, Juugo, ever the calm one, decided to speak.

"How about this? We'll make you a deal—we will cooperate, to an extent, and in exchange, you will answer some of the questions we've been denied to ever since we were captured."

Naruto stole a glance at Sakura, but she was still staring at the ground. His gaze reverted back to Juugo.

"Sounds alright. I will—I mean, I'll have someone answer those questions for you, how about that? Right now, though, I am needed at the battlefield. Meanwhile, Sakura-chan, can you . . . ?"

His teammate snapped out of whatever trance she was in, and gave a little bow that was too formal, too stiff.

"Of course you can count on me, Hokage-sama."

The two Taka members didn't miss the way the Leaf leader flinched, if barely, at her words, though Naruto pretended not to notice.

The boy who was not yet a man rested his red Kage hat on his desk, having been too much in a hurry to wear it before arriving from Iron. And from there he left his own office, leaving Sakura—the girl he thought he knew—behind.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** "Nesu" means "mouse". The name itself really isn't important, but I like the way "mouse" contradicts "hawk", which is what Taka means. (It's one of the only Japanese words I ever bothered to remember anyway . . .)


	6. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N:** This is still the easiest story to write. -nods-

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Tap, tap, tap, tap<em>_._ Rain fell from the sky. Droplets landed on the thin tent fabric with a rhythmic _tap, tap, tap_. Inside one of the largest tents, stationed at a strategic attacking position in the Leaf camp miles away from Konohagakure itself, were the Sage Hokage Naruto Uzumaki and legendary healer Sakura Haruno.

"Sakura . . . Why—" He paused as he saw Sakura's stony expression over the green glow of chakra. "How did Taka react?" he instead asked hastily.

"They refused to believe me, even though they know that it is true. But I doubt that is what you wanted to ask."

"Sakura-chan . . ."

He loved this girl. He loved her with all of his heart, perhaps even from the first time he saw her. But now . . . Now Sakura was turning into someone he didn't recognize. Someone bitterer. More vengeful. Colder. Blanker.

She'd managed to hide it while confronting Sasuke, because she knew there was a higher chance of receiving Sasuke's help if . . . if she acted like how she was.

_It simply tells you that she cares more for that boy than she will ever care for you,_ a voice in his mind said snidely.

"Sakura-chan . . . I know you're angry with me, after . . ." After Tsunade died, after one of her most important persons gave up her life for him. He started again, "After that mission. But—"

"I am at no place to hold grudges against you or any other individual," she said, closing the subject.

Naruto's eyes casted down. "Just so you know . . ."

* * *

><p>"Does Sasuke know?"<p>

_Tap, tap, tap, tap__._ Rain fell from the sky.

Sasuke paused in his steps, Sharingan flashing red.

Why—why was Naruto talking about him? Behind his back?

Was this some sort of trap after all?

He masked his chakra and crept closer, hand on sword.

Before he could do anything, however, another voice—one that he recognized as Sakura's—answered.

"No. He doesn't." Another pause. "What do you planning on, when he _does_ know about _him_? Uchiha Sasuke is a dangerous S-rank criminal, Rokudaime-sama."

"Rokudaime-sama"?

Naruto laughed uneasily. Whether by the tone of Sakura's voice or the subject, Sasuke didn't know.

"_He_ gave me the power to stop Sasuke when the time comes to it . . . I would know. I'm the only one that can stop him."

Neither spoke for a while.

"You still believe he can be saved," Sakura said finally. "Even after everything that has happened."

"Yeah."

_Tap, tap, tap, tap__._ Rain fell from the sky. Sasuke's wet hair matted against his forehead, but he didn't quite care—or simply didn't notice.

"Naruto—I will support your decision regarding Sasuke, whatever it is. But that doesn't mean I agree."

"I . . . I know . . ."

"I will do whatever it helps for us to win the war. It is for Tsunade-shishou . . . and Kakashi-sensei . . ." The sound of quiet, scraping fabric reached Sasuke's ears. "I am done here now, Hokage-sama. Hinata will come a few minutes later to check on your chakra flow. I am needed at the battlefield."

Footsteps tapped, nearing the entrance of the tent.

"You still love him."

Naruto's voice came out strange—and that was when Sasuke realized that Naruto's words lacked conviction.

"I don't."

The tent door was shifted aside, and from there Sasuke could see Sakura, standing there, head dipped down.

"I've never."

And, strangely, some part of Sasuke—some part he never knew existed—died with those two words.

* * *

><p>Rain fell from the sky in a <em>tap, tap, tap, tap<em>.

It was the sky crying.  
>It was the heavens weeping.<br>It was the gods mourning—

Tears that fell from the sky would flood over the hills of red.  
>Rivers of crimson would flow away, and green would come back once again.<p>

And rain would wash away the blood on his skin.  
>And rain would wash away the blood on his skin.<br>And rain would wash away the blood on his skin.  
>And rain would wash away the blood on his skin, reminding him what it was like to be free.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** The real plot will probably start . . . next chapter. Heh.


	7. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N:** Sorry this took such a long time. I tried to write out a humongous chapter and it died on me. Sorry. :(

The divergence point of the Sasuke, Not Uchiha "previous life" starts in this chapter.

Killer Bee's raps are sounding more and more like poetry. Is that a good thing?

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

* * *

><p>"Hokage-sama!" a frantic Chuunin shouted, busting into the meeting room.<p>

The two talking voices, Gaara and Naruto, stopped abruptly.

"What is it?" the Kazekage rasped.

"H-Hokage-sama. Kazekage-sama. It seems that—" The man's eyes squeezed shut, took a deep breath, and blurted out all at once, "Madara has recruited Uchiha Itachi and Nagato of Rain back to Mountain's Graveyard!"

As shocking has this information may be, it was even more so when black seals started crawling across the Chuunin's face. The man's face turned blue, and he fell on the floor within three seconds, eyes wide and unmoving.

"Medic!" Naruto shouted, rushing for the man.

But it was a pointless effort, and he knew it. The man was already dead.

As the group of four medical ninjas rushed away with the body, voices instantly erupted in the room.

"He said Madara Uchiha is back—"

"—with the Uchiha and Nagato of Rain?"

"—too strong—"

"—cannot fight off an attack of that magnitude—"

"—impossible! Too little time—"

"—perhaps surrender is—"

"I think," whispered Gaara, "your leader, the Leaf Hokage, would appreciate a few seconds of silence."

They shut up.

Naruto's eyes never moved away from the spot where the Chuunin had fallen.

It was no secret to the men of the Allied Forces what Madara was planning to do. The last time they'd heard of Madara on the battlefield it was after summoning the second generation of the Six Paths with the six undead Jinchuuriki, when he had planned on proceeding his Eye of the Moon plan without the Eight-Tails. Ever since the plan failed with Naruto's interference, Madara had been looking for other ways to complete his hopes of world domination.

Shikamaru, the head strategic expert ever since his father's death, along with other chakra experts had estimated how long it would take for Madara to regain his strength back to a visible form. The more hopeful guess was one year, but it seemed they didn't reach the expected six-month estimation.

And now the news was worse than ever. With the combined forces of Itachi and Nagato, the shinobi army . . .

The shinobi army didn't stand a chance.

"Contact Mizukage and Tsuchikage-san," Naruto finally said. "The Forces need to regroup. And," he raised his voice so all the people in the room could hear, "for everyone else other than the Kazekage and Bee, please leave for your attack squads. Captains, pass this information onto your squads as easily as you can. We don't need another White Zetsu incident."

"Whaddaya plan on doing, with those zombies a-pursuing?" Bee asked when everyone, including Gaara filed off. "This ain't the time to hold back—I say we strike now and attack!"

"I know that." When Naruto closed his eyes, he could once again feel the weight of those tens and thousands of people's lives on top of his shoulders.

"Tell me, then; what is the plan? I ain't a helpless man. If the time is right, Killer Bee can still fight—"

"No."

"—with Eight-Tails, we will—what?"

"I . . . I have a plan."

* * *

><p>To be honest, when he was young, Naruto had no idea what being Hokage meant. To him, the Third was always the one people respected and looked up to. Having endured a childhood hated by all, Naruto yearned for that kind of acknowledgment. He didn't understand that once he put on that red hat there were many other responsibilities expected of him.<p>

The first change in his view of being a Kage probably occurred with Sarutobi's death. A Hokage wasn't just a face etched upon that stone cliff anymore. It meant to protect the village to his death. It meant sacrificing everything for the people you love. But, for some reason, that prospective change never deterred Naruto from his path to the top; in fact, such ideas made him more determined than ever to become the Hokage.

After Pein's Invasion . . . he experienced for the first time what it meant to lose someone, and what it meant to be a hero. To be someone worthy of admiration. But he also realized just how much longer he needed to go. His grief for Jiraiya had been so deep he almost lost himself in thoughts of revenge. Also . . . Sasuke was still out there, the one friend that he could not save. How could he be Hokage when he couldn't even save his best friend?

After that, he had trained with Bee in preparation of reeling the Kyuubi, controlling it. He had been completely oblivious to the war outside, and had escaped in anger when he found out the truth—

He met Tsunade and the Raikage, where the Raikage would've killed him if it wasn't for Bee's interference. But then . . .

Then . . . that was when everything went horribly wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** No Sasuke or Sakura in this chapter. Sorry again. :(

Even though back at chapter four or so I said _Fragmented Remains_ is an official AU, the recent chapters really messed everything up. _But_—I will still try to include some of the harmless information inside. :) So if you wish it to be clearer, FR starts out as AU when Tsunade and the Raikage met up with Naruto and Bee, chapter 543.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N:** You know how sometimes you read fanfiction and the author tells you that their computer was broken, losing all of their files? And you think, _Yeah, sucks for her_, but that would never happen to you? Well, that's what I thought too before the exact same thing happened to me. :P Really, really sorry about this.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

* * *

><p>"H-Haruno-sama. Um, Hokage-sama w-wishes to see you."<p>

Sakura lifted her face, scarred and bloodied, from the body she was working on. It, along with many other bodies, had been prepared for cremation.

This tradition started when the Shinobi Allied Forces realized that some of the newly dead were immediately transferred to the other side of the war. Cremation was used so Kabuto or the White Zetsus wouldn't get hold on the deceased DNA, and further, to destroy the body so that Impure Resurrection would have no effect. In the bloodier battles, the Aburame clan's specialized leeches would be sent out to clear away the blood.

Still, sometimes, it was impossible to ensure everyone a proper burial, as the number of deaths were simply too much. Already there were more undeads out there than shinobi. It wasn't a comforting thought that every day, more of your former comrades are stalking closer to the newly build village walls, intent on killing their former, and even present, love ones.

Sakura's musings were distracted when she turned and stared at the newcomer face-to-face. The messenger was a Genin who looked no more than ten years old. Yet, the girl's whole shinobi outfit was stained—no, _soaked_—with red, red blood.

Sakura's eyes softened at the same time her heart clenched painfully by the sight.

"Hokage-sama?" asked Sakura. "Did he say why?"

The girl shook her head. "N-no, Haruno-sama." She adjusted her hitai-ate, which had fallen across her eyes. "But it's r-really urgent, I th-think. At l-least, that's what they t-told me."

_Must be, if Naru__—__Hokage-sama had no time to see me himself_, Sakura thought, walking across the room to wash her hands.

"Where is he?" She turned off the faucet.

"Uh . . . the forest gathering place." The girl looked down. "I—I don't know where t-that is th-though. S-sorry . . ."

Genin had been officially employed in the war after the Madara's Six Paths plan . . . It was just terrible. There were estimates that one eighth of their _entire force_ had been wiped out, with more wounded or missing. Genin were the only manpower they had left.

_Where are Konohamaru and the others, I wonder . . . ?_

Though perhaps the damage would not have been so intensive if it weren't for . . .

If it weren't for . . .

Sakura walked across the room and placed a hand on the shoulder of the fidgeting Genin, who stared up at Sakura with wide eyes.

"Don't be sorry." Sakura reached for the girl's 忍 forehead protector and retied it over the young kunoichi's head, like how Ino had done for her so many years ago. Blue eyes peeked up in wonder at the older woman's face. "I know where that place is. All you have to do is follow me."

"I-I'm going?"

"Of course. After all . . . as kunoichi, we can't let all the men do the work, right?" Sakura smiled slightly.

"H-Hai, Haruno-sama."

With that, Sakura patted the Genin's head. Sakura stood up and tugged on her gloves, then walked out the tent with the child a step behind.


End file.
